


What Fate Can Overcome

by TDWidow



Series: The Arda Trilogy [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Crossover, Crossover Pairings, Elves use the Force, F/M, M/M, Middle Earth, Post Mpreg, Post-War of the Ring, Real Family, Slash, Star Wars Expanded Universe - Freeform, That means Force Awakens and Last Jedi DON'T exist
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-31
Updated: 2019-02-17
Packaged: 2019-07-05 04:39:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15856383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TDWidow/pseuds/TDWidow
Summary: Mara Jade turned from the Dark Side once, but her fragile peace is haunted by disturbing nightmares. Her new husband Luke helps her track down her past, but they soon find themselves in danger on a planet where the Skywalker name is hated. Mentions slash and mpreg.





	1. Mara's Nightmare

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my Arda trilogy part two! Part one is called “Cruel Trick of Fate,” which follows Obi-Wan Kenobi during the Clone Wars. This story takes place 38 years after part one, and focuses on Luke and Mara just after they are married in Vision of the Future (I'm also ignoring all of the New Jedi Order stuff). Lord of the Rings characters will enter later.
> 
> I feel like it's probably obvious, but I should actually say that I am patently IGNORING everything from _The Force Awakens_ and _The Last Jedi_. Gone. Out the window. I am NOT a fan.
> 
> But, one of the added benefits of being a Marvel fan (especially X-Men) is that I am good at just picking a character universe/story arc that I do like. So, this story and the final part of the Arda trilogy follow the Star Wars: Legends story verse; i.e., the novels.
> 
> I hope you enjoy! Reviews are always welcome!
> 
> DISCLAIMER I own nothing from Star Wars or Lord of the Rings.

When she was a child being raised by the servants of the Emperor, Mara Jade Skywalker had been told bedtime stories just like every other little girl in the universe. But there was one story that Emperor Palpatine himself would tell her over and over again that had stuck with her always.  
  
He would have her sit at the foot of his throne. These were her favorite times – his raspy voice and disfigured face never frightened her. He took care of her and taught her how to use her powers. The one who did frighten her was Darth Vader, though he was never cruel to her, so she could never figure out why.  
  
Every time he started the story, Palpatine asked, “Mara, why were the Jedi destroyed?”  
  
And every time, she answered, “Because they were weak traitors who turned on you and the Republic.”  
  
“Yes.” He would nod. “Once upon a time, a very well-respected Jedi Master crash-landed on a planet that no one had ever found before. The very first thing he did was make his droid start to fix his ship, then he went exploring.  
  
“He met the natives not very far away and began living with them. Then one day, he fell in love.  
  
“This made him a bad Jedi, because they were not allowed to fall in love. Soon he found himself with a little girl, just like you. But then his droid fixed his ship and the Jedi flew off, leaving his little girl alone. Do you know what happened to her?”  
  
Mara, whose bright green eyes were always round and wide by this point of the story, would shake her head. “What happened to her?” she would ask, though she knew the answer.  
  
“She disappeared,” was always the reply. “Was swallowed up by the Force and became a wraith who wandered the planet looking for revenge on the Jedi father who abandoned her.” Then he would lean down so that she could see his face clearly. “So that, Mara, is why the Jedi were destroyed. They not only betrayed me, but also their own families. Never forget that.”  
  
She never did. As she grew older and began her training as the Emperor’s Hand, Mara kept the story of the wraith-girl in the back of her mind. She imagined how it must feel to be a wraith. Eventually without realizing it, she began to move like she thought such a creature would move. By the time she was sent out on her first mission, she was nearly invisible.  
  
Mara was never told anything about her family, other than that they had made the great sacrifice of offering her to the Emperor when she was just a young child. Nevertheless, her heart ached for the abandoned daughter in the story and that fueled her hatred of the Jedi even more.  
  
It took her years to put her life back together after the death of Emperor Palpatine and the victory of the Rebel Alliance. Briefly, before she decided to dedicate her entire existence to fulfilling her master’s last mission, she thought about letting herself be swallowed by the Force. Then she could find the wraith-girl and the two of them could spend eternity searching for the people who had ruined their lives.  
  
The events on the backwater world of Wayland, when Mara killed the clone of Luke Skywalker, brought her peace of mind and began to change her outlook on the Jedi. She tried training with Luke at his Academy and eventually the two were able to admit that they were in love.  
  
They story of the wraith-girl still haunted her. She could never find the right moment to ask Luke if he had ever heard of her. Although images of the wraith-girl had appeared on and off in her dreams since she had first heard the story, the first nightmare did not come until the first night she and Luke spend in their new Coruscant apartment after returning from their honeymoon on Ithor.  
  
In the dream, she was a small child in a house on a planet that she had never seen before. Her imagined image of the wraith-girl watched her through a window as she looked around. The house was full of open courtyards and graceful arches, with soaring balconies that overlooked a rushing river. Murals and statues of slender humanoid aliens lined the long corridors. She followed closely behind a man as he walked into a room. There was a little boy beside her – her brother.  
  
Brother? She had never known her family, but she felt like she would have known deep down if she had a sibling. The Force, in its infinite wisdom, had never led her to believe that she had been separated from anyone.  
  
Suddenly the scene shifted and she was in the forest. A black shadow wrapped around her, enveloping everything but her eyes. She could see the figure of the man who had been leading them standing on a balcony behind her. She called out to him, but he just shook his head.  
  
She turned and saw her brother standing in the woods alone. She called out to him too, but he began to fade away. Again she called his name, but he disappeared into thin air. The darkness around her crawled into her eyes and soon there was nothing.  
  
“Mara!”  
  
She awoke with a start, drenched in sweat and shaking. On the other side of the bed, Luke sat up, his blonde hair tousled and his blue eyes dark with worry. “Are you okay?”  
  
Mara took a few deep breaths, not trusting her voice. Finally she said, “I had a nightmare.”  
  
“I know. You were tossing and turning and shouting out words I’ve never heard before.”  
  
Mara looked at him sharply. “What words?”  
  
Frowning, Luke said, “First you said ‘Ada.’ Then you kept shouting ‘Alar.’ Do you remember what the nightmare was about?”  
  
She pushed herself up and leaned against the headboard. Luke reached over and stroked her hair with his left hand – his real hand. He tried always to touch her with his real hand. “I do remember,” she said. “The wraith-girl was there.”  
  
“Wraith-girl?” Luke repeated.  
  
Mara nodded. “When I was a child, the Emperor used to tell me this story about a Jedi who crash-landed on some unknown planet and fathered a child there. Then as soon as his ship was fixed, he took off and abandoned her. She was swallowed up by the Force and became a wraith.”  
  
“What happened in the dream, love?” he asked, his voice gentle.  
  
“I was a very small child in this beautiful house. It was a planet I’ve never seen before. I was following this man and my brother was with me. Then I was in the forest being engulfed in a black cloud. The man was watching me and I called out to him but he wouldn’t help me. And my brother disappeared into thin air.” Tears sprang to her eyes. “Then the darkness took me.”  
  
Luke held out his arm and Mara gratefully slid over to the center of the bed to let him wrap her in an embrace. “Do you think it was just a nightmare?” he asked as she leaned against his chest.  
  
“No,” she whispered. “But I don’t see how it could be real either. I don’t have a brother.”  
  
“You know that for sure?”  
  
“Well no,” Mara admitted. “But I’ve never felt like there was someone I was ripped away from. I mean – ” She felt another lump form in her throat. “Except for my parents, but they gave me up willingly.”  
  
Luke held her close. She felt the calming touch of his mind on hers. “You know, until Ben told me, I never would have guessed that I had a twin sister somewhere. Once I knew, then I knew it was Leia, but before that, it never occurred to me. Maybe this Alar is a brother you just never knew about.”  
  
Mara shrugged. “Maybe. What about the man?”  
  
“You said Ada,” Luke said. “Maybe that’s his name.”  
  
Yawning, Mara nodded. “It could be.”  
  
They fell into silence. Mara felt her eyes get heavy. “Do you feel better?” Luke murmured.  
  
Sleepily, she nodded. “Thank you.”  
  
“Anytime.”  
  
Mara tilted her head up to meet his lips for a goodnight kiss, then rolled back to her side. As she fell asleep, she could feel Luke stroking her back.


	2. Luke's Morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **AUTHOR’S NOTE** For those of you who aren’t aware, this is the second story of a trilogy (the first story being “Cruel Trick of Fate”). You should definitely read that one first :-)
> 
> **DISCLAIMER** I made up a couple of characters in this story, but they don’t appear in this chapter. I own nothing canon from either Star Wars or Lord of the Rings.

Coruscant’s sun rose over the central part of the planet-wide city, reflecting off of hundreds of speeders and transports rushing through the air. Luke stood at the window in his bedroom, watching the bustle of the metropolis below his apartment.  
  
Behind him, Mara was still sleeping fitfully. Waves of fear and pain were rolling around the room and from the way she tossed and turned, Luke knew she was having another nightmare.  
  
It distressed him to feel how miserable the nightmares made her. He had promised to love her and protect her forever. So far, he didn't feel like he was doing a very good join.  
  
The sunlight began to warm the room. Luke decided to let Mara sleep, hoping that her mind would calm down, and left to make breakfast.  
  
The midnight conversation they had had about Mara’s first nightmare weighed on his mind. When he was younger, he used to have dreams about his father, always frightening even though at that time he had no idea that his father had become Darth Vader. But he had never dreamt of Leia. They were twins – two Force-Sensitive beings who had spent nine months growing and developing together – and he had never once had a dream about her. What kind of twin did that make him?  
  
A noise behind him caught his attention and he turned to see Mara leaning in the doorway. She raised an eyebrow. “You’re making breakfast?”  
  
He shrugged. “I thought it might be nice to have breakfast in bed.”  
  
She smiled wanly and wandered into the kitchen. “I think I’d rather eat in here.”  
  
Luke took her hand and squeezed it. “Another nightmare?”  
  
Mara nodded. “Same idea. Same planet, people, everything. I believe in the Force too much to believe that these are just nightmares.”  
  
“I know,” Luke said. “I think they mean something.” He finished cooking their breakfast and sat across from his wife. “Maybe if we can figure out what they mean, they’ll stop,” he suggested.  
  
“I wouldn’t have any idea of where to look,” Mara said. Her temper flared, sending a Dark Side ripple through the room. “I can’t remember anything!”  
  
Luke reached across the table and took both of her hands in his, trying to calm her anger. “I promise, love, we’ll find the secret of these dreams.”  
  
When Mara looked at him, she looked hopeless. “If I have to go through even one more night of this, I’m going to lose my mind.”  
  
Luke squeezed her hands and smiled. “Well I wouldn’t want that. A famous Jedi Master can’t have a crazy wife.”  
  
Mara saw his teasing look and laughed. “No, we can’t have that.” Then her hopeless look returned. “How do we start?”  
  
Honestly, Luke was not sure how to start, but he could not let Mara know that. So he asked, “Was there anything else in your second dream that we could use to find maybe at least what planet you were on?”  
  
Mara shook her head. “It had a lot of vegetation. Temperate climate. There were mountains too, and a river. But that could be a thousand different planets. How can we possibly narrow that down?”  
  
“What about the architecture?” Luke asked. “Old Republic? New Republic?” He paused, then added hesitantly, “Imperial?”  
  
She shook her head again. “None of those styles. But it was definitely an old home. It felt like it had been there for a thousand years.” Then she furrowed her brow thoughtfully. “There was a feeling in the house,” she said.  
  
“A feeling like what?”  
  
“Like whoever lived there had built the house himself. Like the home was connected to him – if he ever left it, it would be lost.”  
  
Luke listened intently, for some reason remembering the B’omarr monks who had built what would become Jabba’s palace on Tatooine. Even after Jabba and his cohorts moved in, the monks had not left because they were a part of the building. According to Tatooine legend, they had breathed life into the stone and without them, it would collapse. Likewise, if they were to leave behind that life they had given the fortress, they too would die.  
  
Mara was watching him with a raised eyebrow. “You okay?” she asked.  
  
He nodded. “I think I have an idea. Maybe this home is the home of a holy order. You know how holy orders build temples and things and become a physical part of them?”  
  
Frowning, she asked, “Like the Massassi?”  
  
Growing more convinced of his theory, Luke shook his head. “More like the B’omarr.”  
  
“Who?”  
  
“The B’omarr monks build Jabba’s palace,” Luke explained, excited. “But if they ever left, the palace would crumble and they would die because they were a part of each other. Maybe that’s the kind of presence you felt.”  
  
Mara laughed. “You look like a teenager who’s just gotten his first speeder.”  
  
Luke felt his face grow hot and shrugged. “I just want to help you figure this out.”  
  
“And that’s why I love you,” Mara said.  
  
Luke grinned and leaned over the table to kiss her. Then he said, “I think I’ll go down to the Senate Hall of Records and see what I can find.” He stood up and started for the door.  
  
Mara’s laugh made him stop and turn. “Unshowered, in your smallclothes?” she asked.  
  
He could feel the blush come back and headed instead for the ‘fresher. He could hear Mara still chuckling in the kitchen. “An absent-minded Jedi Master,” she said to herself. “What are the worlds coming to?”  
  
He was so preoccupied with his mission that he rushed through the shower and grabbed the first set of clothes he laid his hands on – a set of his old sand-colored Tatooine farmer’s clothes. He kissed Mara goodbye and rushed out the door. As he headed down the hall, he felt his wife brush his mind and heard her voice. ‘I don’t think Ada is a name,’ she said. ‘Maybe it’s a religious title.’

He smiled and sent her a warm goodbye. It was not until he was on the lift heading down to the Hall of Records that he looked down at the outfit and wondered aloud, “How long have I had this?”  
  
The reception droid directed him to the wing of religious records (which did not include Jedi records, as those were kept at his _praxeum_ on Yavin 4). Luke looked at the long bookshelves full of computer chips. He whistled. This was going to take awhile.  
  
They were organized by galactic region. He began with the Outer Rim worlds and resigned himself to a long day.  
  
As the hours wore on, Luke learned about the Massassi of Yavin 4, the B’omarr of Tatooine, the Youk of Kubindi, and the Hamun of Jubilar. None of those were planets like what Mara had described and he found no mention of a figure known as Ada. With a grown, he let his head drop on the table with a thud.  
  
Suddenly he was aware of his sister’s presence coming toward him. She was worried. He did not move until he heard her ask, “Luke? What’s wrong?”  
  
He chuckled dryly as he looked up at her. “You’re getting better and better at reading my emotions.”  
  
Leia Organa Solo sat across from him. “You’re sitting in the Hall of Records first thing in the morning alone the day after you come back from your honeymoon in clothes that you haven’t worn for twenty years.” Her face fell. “Oh no. You and Mara didn’t have a fight already, did you?”  
  
“No, no,” Luke reassured her. “Nothing like that. It just…wasn’t a very good night.”  
  
He saw a knowing smile spread across her face. “Oh Luke, that part’s always hard after the honeymoon. I know it’s not quite as romantic here, but it will get better.”  
  
Luke could feel how red his face was. “That’s not what I meant!” he hissed. “That part is fine.”  
  
“Just fine?” Leia asked, still smirking.  
  
“It’s great.”  
  
Clearly enjoying herself, Leia added, “Because if you ever need any advice from your big sister, I’m always here.”  
  
Usually they both had fun teasing the other about who was older, but Luke was tired and frustrated with his dead-end search. “Mara’s having horrible nightmares about her past. I’m just trying to help her find answers.”  
  
Leia frowned. “What information do you have to go on?”  
  
Luke sighed. “A temperate planet with a very old and established holy order. We think.”  
  
“You think?”  
  
“It was something about the building she was in,” he explained. “She said it felt like it was part of the person who built it. I know of many holy orders that do that.”  
  
“Infuse their temples with their life force?” Leia asked. Her brother nodded. She rested her chin in her hands. “Hmm. So what specifically are you looking for?” She indicated the pile of discarded data chips.  
  
Sending the pile an uncharacteristic angry glare, Luke said, “Just a center like what she described and a figure that goes by the title of Ada.”  
  
Leia looked at him incredulously. Then she laughed. “Little brother, sometimes you can be very dense.”  
  
With a teasing glare, Luke shot back, “And why is that, little sister?”  
  
“Because there’s an easier way to do this.”


	3. Threepio's Annoyance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **AUTHOR’S NOTE** I wanted to keep each chapter from a distinct point of view, but some of them slip. This one, for instance, starts off in Threepio’s point of view, then switches to Luke’s at the end. I apologize!
> 
> Also, I’m sure that the Jedi Temple on Coruscant was destroyed at some point during the years of the Empire, but for the purposes of this story, let’s pretend that it wasn’t.
> 
> **DISCLAIMER** I own nothing canon from Star Wars or Lord of the Rings.

The Solo household had, once upon a time, been a peaceful place. Lately, it had become something akin to a hormonal war zone. Ten-year-old Jaina Solo, the only Solo daughter, had apparently declared war on her brothers – both her twin Jacen and the younger Anakin. Her parents tried to keep some kind of balance in the house and when Chewbacca was there, he was usually the most successful. But Mistress Leia had gone to find Master Luke and Captain Solo and Chewbacca were at a weekend meeting with General Bel Iblis about Corellian shipping. Therefore, Artoo-Detoo and See-Threepio were left alone in the combat zone.  
  
Currently, Anakin and Jacen were playing a holo game in the living room while Jaina stayed locked in her room. For the moment, the apartment was quiet. Threepio was glad for the break, but worried that it would not last long.  
  
A bell sounded from the kitchen. Threepio shuffled over to the holopad and pushed receive. “Solo residence.”  
  
A flickering image of Mistress Leia appeared in front of him. “Hello Threepio. How’s everything going?”  
  
“Mistress Leia, I’m terribly concerned about Mistress Jaina,” Threepio replied.  
  
“Has she trapped Jacen and Anakin on the ceiling again?”  
  
If he had facial expression, Threepio would have looked appalled. “Heavens, no! But she has locked herself in her bedroom. I’m quite concerned for her well-being.”  
  
Leia just shook her head. “She’s fine. As long as the boys aren’t teasing her and she isn’t fighting them, just let them be.”  
  
“Okay.” Threepio was uncertain. His programming told him that the Princess’s advice was wrong, but his human masters, especially Master Luke, Mistress Leia, Mistress Mara, Master Jacen, Mistress Jaina, and Master Anakin, always seemed to know more than his programming.   
  
“Threepio, I actually have a favor to ask you,” Leia said.  
  
“Of course, Mistress Leia. I am at your service.”  
  
Then Luke’s image appeared beside Leia’s. “Actually, it’s for me,” he said.  
  
“Oh! Master Luke! I am at your service as well.”  
  
“I need the translation of a word,” Luke said.  
  
The vast word banks in Threepio’s intelligence server automatically began running translation programs. “I am at the ready.”  
  
Luke said, “I need to know what ‘Ada’ means. Also, planet of origin would be helpful.”  
  
“Ada,” Threepio repeated. It took mere seconds for the artificial intelligence to return an answer. “Ada means ‘green’ in Duro, ‘to run’ in Bothan, and ‘a small fruit similar to a juju’ in Sullustan.”  
  
There came a disappointed sigh. “No, none of those is the one I’m looking for. Thanks for your help anyway, Threepio.”  
  
“I am sorry that I could not be of more help, Master Luke.”  
  
Luke waved a hand. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you later.”  
  
“Tell the kids I’ll be home soon,” Leia said.  
  
“Yes ma’am.” Threepio turned the comm unit off.  
  
He turned around to see Artoo rolling back and forth in the doorway, Jacen and Anakin behind him. Artoo beeped a question. “Master Luke wanted the translation of a word,” Treepio answered. “But all of the translations I gave him were not what he wanted. I hate when I cannot help!”  
  
“What was the word?” Jacen asked.  
  
“Ada.”  
  
Jacen and Anakin shared a look. “Nope,” Anakin said, shaking his head. “We don’t know it.”  
  
But Artoo had begun squealing and whistling excitedly. He rolled back and forth, nearly ramming into the doorjamb. “What’s wrong?” Anakin asked. He looked at Jacen, worry in his big dark eyes. “Jacen? What’s wrong with him?”  
  
Jacen shrugged. “Maybe we should get Jaina. She can understand him most of the time.”  
  
“We do not need to bother Mistress Jaina,” Threepio replied haughtily. “I understand him just fine. Remember, I am fluent in over six million forms of communication.”  
  
“Well then what’s he saying?” Jacen asked. “He seems awfully excited about something.”  
  
Jaina’s voice came from behind them. “He’s talking about Obi-Wan Kenobi,” she said.  
  
“I was getting to that,” Threepio grumbled.  
  
Jaina looked at her brothers and the two droids. “What’s going on?”  
  
Hesitantly, Anakin said, “Uncle Luke called to ask Threepio about a word. When Artoo heard it, he went crazy.”  
  
Jaina focused on Artoo. “He’s saying that when he was recharging on the ship, he heard Obi-Wan Kenobi saying Ada to himself when Anakin and Senator Organa were not around.” She frowned and looked at her brothers. “What ship? What’s he talking about?”  
  
“And what was he doing with our two grandfathers?” Jacen asked.  
  
Artoo let out another stream of excited warbles. Jaina listened, then turned to the boys. “He says that Ada means father. At least, he thinks so.”  
  
Threepio threw his arms up. “Wonderful! I’ll just call Master Luke and let him know that we’ve found the answer!”  
  
Jacen took Jaina’s hand. “No need,” he said.  
  
The Jedi twins closed their eyes for a moment. Then Jaina said, “He and Mom are on their way here.”  
  
“Excellent,” Threepio said. “Well since you’re all out here, why don’t we play a game?”  
  
Suddenly, Jaina’s expression darkened again. She turned on her heel and stormed back into her room. Anakin rolled his eyes. “Girls.”  
  
Jacen closed his eyes then said, “She’s fine. But she won’t come out ‘til Mom and Uncle Luke get here.”  
  
“Why does she hate us so much?” Anakin asked as he and Jacen sat back down at the game table.  
  
“She doesn’t hate us,” Jacen said. He smirked. “At least, she doesn’t hate me.”  
  
Anakin pouted and punched his older brother in the arm, but then they returned to their game. That rare peace settled over the apartment again.  
  
The boys were so involved with their game that they jumped when the front door slid open. “Hello!” Leia called.  
  
Threepio shuffled into the front hall, with Artoo and all three Solo children on his heels. “Hello Mistress Leia! Welcome home!”  
  
The kids stopped short when they saw Luke in the doorway. “Uncle Luke, what are you wearing?” Anakin asked, wrinkling his nose.  
  
“Anakin!” Leia admonished him.  
  
Luke just laughed. “I guess I do look a little ridiculous, don’t I?”  
  
Jacen and Jaina nodded vigorously. “These clothes are what nearly everyone wore back on Tatooine,” Luke explained.  
  
“We aren’t on Tatooine,” Jacen pointed out.  
  
Laughing, Luke said, “I was in a hurry this morning.” He and Leia led everyone to sit down in the living room. “So you were able to find that word after all?” he asked once everyone was seated.  
  
“Artoo was,” Anakin said. “He heard it and started going nuts.”  
  
Luke looked at the little droid. “How would Artoo know a word that Threepio didn’t?” he asked.  
  
“I assure you, Master Luke, I have been asking myself that question,” Threepio said, distressed.  
  
Jaina spoke up softly. “He said he heard Obi-Wan Kenobi say it.”  
  
Luke’s expression changed from interested to shocked and sad. Leia put her hand over his and squeezed. “Obi-Wan?” he asked. “Are you sure?”  
  
Jaina nodded. “He said something about being on a ship with Obi-Wan, Senator Organa, and Anakin. I, uh, I think he meant – ”  
  
“My father,” Luke finished.  
  
“So where would Master Kenobi, my father, and, uh, our father be going with Artoo?” Leia asked.  
  
Jacen shrugged. “I don’t know. Artoo didn’t say, did he, Jaina?”  
  
Jaina shook her head. “But he said that it means father.”  
  
“Father?” Luke repeated. “Are you sure?”  
  
“Yeah,” Jaina said. “He said Obi-Wan kept saying it over and over while they were all on the ship, but only when Anakin and Senator Organa weren’t around.”  
  
Luke studied Artoo as the droid swiveled his domed head around the room. Leia and the kids waited for him to say something. Finally, he stood up. “I’ve got to go change,” he said. “There’s one place I can think of that I might be able to find an answer and I can’t go in these.”  
  
Leia caught him at the door. “Are you okay?” she asked.  
  
He smiled. “Yeah. I’ve just never gone there before. I don’t really know what to expect.”  
  
Leia kissed his cheek. “I know. But you knew that you couldn’t avoid it forever. I’ll be there with you in spirit, little brother.”  
  
He took her hand and squeezed it. “Thanks, little sister.” Then he waved. “Bye kids!”  
  
The twins waved back. Anakin called, “Goodbye Uncle Luke!”  
  
An hour later, Luke was dressed in his traditional Jedi robes. Around him, dust floated through streams of sunlight in the silent ruins of the Jedi Temple.


	4. Luke's Discovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arcona and Arkania are planets mentioned in the prequel series, therefore Luke probably wouldn’t know anything about them.
> 
> **DISCLAIMER** I don’t own anything canon from Star Wars or Lord of the Rings.

Ghostly whispers flitted through the Force as Luke walked slowly through what was once the Temple’s grand hall. There was hope and light and pain and tears. The walls of the Temple still mourned the atrocities that Anakin Skywalker had committed so long ago. But they also remembered the centuries of peace and goodness that had come before.  
  
Luke knew that his answer was here somewhere among the stones and spirits of the Old Republic’s Jedi. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, letting the Force wash over him. He listened to its voice and let it guide him. Soon, he began to walk.  
  
He walked up a crumbling staircase and down a silent corridor. As he turned into a doorway, the ceiling above him opened up into a cavernous room filled with towering shelves. Curiously, Luke took a closer look at one of the thousands of boxes and found that it was full of data chips. His heart leapt. This room could only be one thing. He had found the Jedi library.  
  
He knew that the Jedi of the Old Republic had not stored the secrets of their teachings in their library, but all of their knowledge of the universe was right here in this room. It could open up worlds that had disappeared under the Empire’s regime and could now be brought back into the Republic.  
  
Now was not the time to ponder such things, though. Luke could feel that he was close, so for the moment he put the incredible find out of his mind and closed his eyes once again. The Force reached out to him, leading him with voiceless words. Around the next shelf, it said. Down this way. Not that box, the one next to it. That’s it.  
  
Luke pulled down a box, raising a cloud of dust. Inside he found old data chips stacked neatly and labeled with names of planets. There were some that he recognized – Alderaan, Almania, Alzoc III – and others that he did not. He took the box to the ancient table in the middle of the room.  
  
All of the planets began with the letter A. It was obviously one of the first boxes in an alphabetical series. He pulled out the chips and began going through them one by one. Planets he was familiar with went back in the box. Those that he wasn’t he left lying on the side of the table.  
  
Once he had gone through them all, he was left with only three chips, labeled Arcona, Arda, and Arkania. He held them for a long time, then kept just one and took it to the data reader.  
  
Whether by the Force or by a miracle, the reader had not fallen victim to decay. Luke slid the chip into the slot. The holo that came up was grainy and jumpy, but still readable.  
  
_Name: Arda_  
  
_Region: Outer Rim_  
  
_Inhabitants: Humans, Elves, Hobbits, Dwarves, Maiar, Valar_  
  
_Conditions: Breathable atmosphere, temperate climate_  
  
_Major Cities: Minas Tirith, Edoras, Rivendell_  
  
_Notes: No knowledge of the universe past their planet. No technology. Valar, Maiar, and Elves all naturally attuned to the Force but most cannot wield it. All can sense the existence of the Force elsewhere and interpret it as the stars speaking to them. Planet on the brink of war between users of the Dark and Light Sides. Some inhabitants have learned how to manifest the Dark Side into physical form and have corrupted some Elves and Maiar into pure Dark Side creatures_  
  
_Languages: Basic (known in inhabitants as “Westron”) and Elvish_  
  
Luke frowned. A war between sides of the Force? Pure Dark Side beings? He went to pop out the chip, but caught sight of the note on the bottom. The entry was written less than a year before he was born by Master Obi-Wan Kenobi.  
  
He returned the box to its dusty home, but pocketed the chip marked “Arda.” Then he promised, “I’ll be back,” and left the Jedi Temple in silence once again.  
  
Mara was waiting for him, nervously pacing around the living room when he walked through the door. “Luke!” she cried when she saw him. “Did you find anything?”  
  
He kissed her hello and nodded. “I think so, but we have to check with Artoo first.”  
  
“Where is he?”  
  
“Still at Leia’s, I think.”  
  
Mara did not hesitate. She was out the door and waiting in the hallway before Luke could turn around. She gave him a teasing smile and crossed her arms across her chest. “Well farmboy? I don’t have all day.”  
  
He grinned and joined her, waving the door shut as he left. Leia’s and Han’s apartment was in the same building as his and Mara’s, but the Imperial Palace was so large that they might as well have been blocks apart.  
  
Leia opened her door before Luke had a chance to knock. “What’s up?” she asked.  
  
Behind her, Anakin ran to the door. “Uncle Luke, you’re back!” He pushed past his mother and hugged Luke tight around the waist.  
  
Luke and Mara both sensed the little boy’s concern. Frowning, Luke looked at Leia, who shrugged. “He’s been like that ever since you left earlier.”  
  
Luke reached down and pried his nephew’s arms open. He knelt down. “What’s up, Anakin?” he asked.  
  
Anakin shrugged and looked at the floor. “I just don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”  
  
“Nothing’s going to happen to me,” Luke assured him, but he felt worry coming from both his sister and his wife.  
  
Still skeptical, Anakin nodded. “If you say so.”  
  
Luke nodded firmly. “I do.” Then he stood up and led Anakin into the living room. “Do you know where Artoo is?” he asked.  
  
Before Anakin could answer, Jacen and Jaina appeared out of Jacen’s room with Artoo rolling at their heels. “Hi Uncle Luke,” Jacen said. “You’re back already?”  
  
Jaina went immediately to Mara’s side and hugged her fiercely. Mara looked at Leia, who mouthed, “Later.” Mara simply shrugged and hugged her niece back.  
  
Artoo rolled around the corner into the living room. Luke grinned. “Hey buddy. How are you?”  
  
Artoo whistled an affirmative, then beeped a question. Threepio said, “Artoo would like to know why you were wanting to know about Master Kenobi’s accident.”  
  
“Accident?” Leia repeated.  
  
Luke sat on the couch next to where Artoo stood. “Obi-Wan crashed somewhere, didn’t he?” he asked. Artoo’s warble led him to go on. “He crashed on a planet that no one had ever found before and then when he came back to Coruscant, he wrote an entry about it for the Jedi library.”  
  
The droid was getting more and more excited as Luke went. After giving Artoo a minute to calm down, Luke asked, “Was the planet called Arda?”  
  
Artoo’s reaction was so loud that Luke jumped and Mara and Leia shared a look. “I’ve never heard of Arda,” Leia said slowly. “Artoo, are you sure?”  
  
Luke pulled the datachip out of his pocket before the droid could answer. “Leia, do you have an old reader?”  
  
Leia nodded. “I think I shoved it in the closet when we got the new one.” She disappeared into the hallway for a minute before calling out, “Yes, it’s here!” Then there was a dull thump. “Sith, this is heavy!”  
  
The children giggled and Luke had to chuckle as well. He reached out and lifted the heavy machine with the Force, calling it to him. Leia followed it, an annoyed look on her face. “I would have gotten it eventually.”  
  
“Just thought I’d give my little sister a hand.”  
  
Leia sighed and rolled her eyes. Anakin glanced back and forth between them. “Which one of you really is older?”  
  
Luke and Leia shared a sad smile. “We don’t know, Anakin,” Luke said. “We probably never will.”  
  
All three kids looked sad. Jaina was the first to break the moment as she moved to hook up the data reader. A minute later she said, “Okay, it should be ready.”  
  
Carefully, Luke slid the old chip into the slot. The others gathered around the projection, squinting to read the scratchy image. Leia looked back at Luke, her eyebrows raised worriedly. “Pure Dark Side creatures? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”  
  
“Me either,” Luke said.  
  
“Sounds dangerous,” she added.  
  
Luke gave her a grin. “Since when has that stopped me?”  
  
Leia glared at him. “I’m serious.”  
  
He put an arm around her shoulder. “I know. But I also know that this is where we need to start to look.”  
  
Mara left the kids still peering at the chip reader to join her husband and his sister. “Well?” Luke asked.  
  
She nodded. “I’m willing to try anything. I guess we’re going to the Outer Rim.”  
  
“No!”  
  
Leia, Luke, and Mara looked at Anakin, whose eyes were wide with fear. He ran to Luke and threw his arms around his waist. “Don’t go there!” he begged.  
  
Luke and Leia shared a look. Leia’s eyes plainly read, see?  
  
With a sigh, Luke put his hands on his nephew’s shoulders. “Anakin, look at me.” Reluctantly, Anakin did so. Luke asked, “Do you have a bad feeling about Arda?”  
  
Lip trembling, Anakin nodded. “You’re going to get hurt if you go there.”  
  
A flare of panic rippled through the Force from Leia, but Luke kept his focus on Anakin. “I know you’re worried,” he said. “And I’m glad that you’re practicing the things I’ve taught you. But your Aunt Mara and I have to do this. It’s important.” He glanced at Mara and grinned. “Plus your aunt is a very tough woman. She’ll protect me.”  
  
Behind Anakin, the twins giggled. Luke looked at them and winked. They knew that Luke had been a great hero during the war just like their dad. He was perfectly capable of protecting himself.  
  
“Besides,” Luke said. “You’ll always be able to feel us through the Force.”  
  
Anakin looked unconvinced, but still nodded. “Okay.”  
  
“Okay.” Luke broke out of the boy’s grasp, then gave Leia a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll be in touch soon.”  
  
She nodded. “Be careful.”  
  
Luke smiled. “You know me.” After saying goodbye to the kids, he and Mara left the apartment and found themselves alone in the hallway. “Well,” Luke said. “Let’s go to Arda.”


	5. Luke's Mislanding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thus begins the crossover! Enjoy.
> 
> Oh, and the communicating telepathically that Luke and Mara do – it’s probably a stretch of Force abilities, but I figure they _are_ married and therefore very closely connected. Thoughts between Luke and Mara are in italics.
> 
> And I meant to alternate points of view, but this one ended up as Luke again. Sorry!
> 
> **DISCLAIMER** I own nothing from Star Wars or Lord of the Rings.

The _Jade Sabre_ came out of hyperspace above a planet mottled with blue, green, and black. Luke closed his eyes, allowing the Force to wash over him.  
  
There was a Dark Side presence on Arda for sure, but it was not as strong as Luke had expected it to be. For a place that had supposedly corrupted living beings, it was surprising how faded the Dark Side felt.  
  
Something was odd, though. The Force from Arda felt different than anywhere else he had been before. And Luke had been to a good part of the galaxy.  
  
He glanced at Mara sitting beside him in the cockpit, wondering if she had felt it too, but she was staring silently at the planet below them. “It’s beautiful,” she finally said.  
  
Luke wasn’t quite sure that he agreed with her, but he just nodded. “Shall we take a look?” he asked. She said nothing, so Luke took over the controls and headed for the surface.  
  
He landed on the western edge of the main land mass. Mara popped the hatch, and they emerged into a green land of grassy hills and small leafy trees. As Luke climbed down the ladder, he noticed that most of the hills were dotted with perfectly round colorful panels. Doors?  
  
Mara leapt from the hatch and landed beside him. “Look at this place!” she said. “I’ve never seen anywhere like this.”  
  
“Me either.”

Together, they walked through the meadows and down a road lined with short fences. Mara pointed at the grass-covered mounds that they passed. “Look there!” she said softly. “That almost looks like a window!”  
  
Luke nodded. “And see the round panels? They have bright gold handles. I think they’re doors.”  
  
“Doors?” Mara peered at them. “You mean people actually live in there?”  
  
Shrugging, he replied, “Something does.” He shook his head and dropped Mara's hand to press on his temples. There was a buzzing in his head that he had never felt before.

Mara frowned. "Are you okay?"

"I think so. My head just feels strange."

Blinking, Mara rolled her head from side to side. "Mine too."  
  
Suddenly they came upon a towering hill dotted with several lattice-covered windows. “Maybe we should start here?” Mara asked with a wry smile.  
  
“Beautiful and smart,” Luke said.

They started toward the door, but before they could reach it, it flew open and a tall humanoid creature emerged. Luke reached behind him and grabbed Mara's wrist, keeping her behind him, as he felt waves of hostility radiating from the alien. Behind him, Mara was tense and rested her hand lightly on the hilt of her lightsaber. Summoning all of the diplomacy Leia had taught him, Luke said, “Greetings. We come in the spirit of friendship to meet with the leader of your planet.”  
  
The blonde alien notched an arrow and held his bow ready. “And to say welcome, you break the most sacred of his laws.” He narrowed his eyes. “No man is allowed to set foot in the Shire.”  
  
“Yet that apparently didn’t stop you,” Mara retorted.  
  
“The Eldar are not bound by such restrictions.”  
  
“I’m sorry,” Luke said. “We were unaware that we had broken any of your laws. I am Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. I’m sure – ”  
  
The alien’s sudden fury lashed out through the Force. “What did you say?”  
  
Luke held his ground. “I’m Luke Skywalker," he repeated.  
  
The alien's blue eyes flashed dangerously and he aimed his arrow at Luke. Calling over his shoulder, he said, "Should any Knights in the service of the crowns hear me, please come forth!”

Luke blinked in mild surprise when two diminutive humanoids rushed out of the dwelling behind the archer. The smaller one, with reddish hair, asked, "What is it, Legolas?"

The other, sandy-haired one, glared at Luke and Mara. “Who are they?”  
  
“Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took," Legolas said, his tone stiff and formal. "I call on you now not as Master and Thain, but as Knights of King Éomer and of King Elessar.” To Luke, he said, “As Lord of Ithilien, I declare you, Luke Skywalker, under arrest in the presence of Knights of Rohan and Gondor for treason against his majesty, Elessar King of Gondor.”  
  
“What?” Mara shrieked. “This is ridiculous!”  
  
“Jade!” Luke barked. "Be silent." He could feel her hurt at his tone. _I’m sorry, but I had to stop you. Who knows what could make them arrest you, too,_ he thought. The effort made the buzzing worse.  
  
The sandy-haired one, Meriadoc, tied Luke’s hands behind his back. His lightsaber was concealed inside his flightsuit, and Meriadoc did not search him. “You will await extradition to Minas Tirith, where you will sit in judgment of Elessar,” Legolas told him. He cast a disdainful eye at Mara. “Your servant girl will go with you.”  
  
Luke felt Mara’s self-righteous anger and tried to calm her. _Peace, Mara. This can’t last forever._  
  
 _It better not._

“What is your name anyway, girl?” Legolas was saying.  
  
“Jade,” Mara replied. “Jade Ada.”  
  
Legolas eyed her. “A strange name. Where do you come from?”  
  
“Tatooine,” Luke replied automatically.  
  
“Coruscant,” Mara added. Luke could tell that she was enjoying how confused they were.

Peregrin asked quietly, “Legolas, what are they talking about? I know of no such place.”  
  
Legolas’s eyes darkened. “Coruscant,” he repeated. “I have heard of that.”  
  
Mara snorted. “That’s not surprising. It’s only the capital of – ”  
  
“Enough, girl!” Luke snapped. “Don’t you know when to shut up?”  
  
He immediately regretted his words when he felt the furious ripple from his wife and saw the loathsome stares from the two small creatures. Legolas drew his arrow back a bit more and said, “She may be your servant, but you will not speak to her in such a sharp tone.”  
  
Luke had to force himself not to smirk as he felt Mara’s satisfied _Serves you right_ echo in his mind. With his hands bound, Luke let Meriadoc and Peregrin lead him into the underground dwelling.  
  
While they had to stoop to get through the door, both Luke and Mara found that they could stand up comfortably in the middle of the entryway. Legolas had to keep his head bowed.  
  
Several other small aliens gathered curiously in the hallway. Two females, one with a youngster at her side, came to the front of the group. “Pippin?” the mother asked. “What’s going on?”  
  
Peregrin smiled at her. “Don’t worry, Diamond. They won’t hurt you.”  
  
The other female frowned. “I thought Men were not allowed in the Shire.”  
  
Meriadoc left Luke and went to her. “They won’t be here long, my love.”  
  
Luke and Mara shared a look. There wasn't any immediate sense of danger, but the citizens of the hall were clearly not welcoming them. So far the trip was not going as well as he had hoped.  
  
Beside him, Mara was getting impatient. “Do we at least get some place to stay until you take us to wherever this King of yours is?”  
  
Legolas gave Luke a look. “Your girl is mouthy.”  
  
“Tell me about it.” Luke ignored Mara’s sharp pinch on his back.  
  
“She is right, though,” Legolas continued. He turned to Meriadoc. “Merry, my old friend, I ask you as Master of Buckland and head of Brandy Hall for a favor. Until tomorrow, would you hold these two prisoners here at the Hall?”  
  
Meriadoc's wife looked alarmed. “Under your guard, right?”  
  
Legolas bowed his head even more. “I would not have it any other way.”  
  
Meriadoc - Merry - nodded. “Of course, Legolas.”  
  
He and Peregrin ushered Luke and Mara into a tiny room and shut the door behind them. The click of the lock echoed a moment later. Luke could feel Legolas’s presence outside the door.  
  
He turned to Mara. “Well I guess we just – ”  
  
“Shut up!” she snapped.  
  
Stung by her words, he took a step back. “Look, I’m sorry about the things I said.”  
  
She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, glowering. “You’re still going to pay for it.”  
  
Mara Jade was one of the only people in the galaxy whose threats carried any weight with Luke Skywalker. "I love you?" he offered.

Mara snorted. "We'll see about that." She nodded toward the bed in the corner. "Get some sleep. I have a feeling we have a long day ahead of us."


End file.
